Ridgefield hires first female fire chief in state

Published 1:00 am, Thursday, April 6, 2006

RIDGEFIELD - When Heather Burford takes a job here next month, the town's fire department will not only get a new leader. The state of Connecticut will get its first female fire chief.

"I don't look at it that way," said Burford about being a woman who will be a fire chief.

Her concerns and goals in starting a new job, she said, would be the same whether man or woman. "I want to learn as much as I can about the membership of the department, the operations and the community."

Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi also played down the town's distinction of having the first female fire chief in the state.

"We looked at people who were the best qualified to be fire chief in Ridgefield, female or male. If she's the first female in the state, congratulations and bravo. She's energetic and has a lot of good ideas."

"Heather is a terrifically qualified person," said
Fred Dudek
, president of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs' Association. Though there are some female fire chiefs in other states, Dudek said to the best of his knowledge Burford is the first female fire chief of either paid or volunteer departments in Connecticut.

Dudek said, however, that there are a number of women firefighters in the ranks in Connecticut, and Burford's appointment as a fire chief "may open some doors now" for other females to head fire departments.

Ridgefield has a paid fire department of 29 firefighters and a volunteer department of 35 firefighters. Burford will be the chief of both departments.

Marconi said selectmen began looking for a new chief in January when Yarrish, who had been chief for five years, announced he would leave at the end of March.

Assistant fire chief
Nick Gaeta
Sr. announced suddenly on Saturday that he was retiring after 36 years with the department. The four captains of the Ridgefield Fire Department are in charge until Burford takes over.

Fire Captain
Glenn Lake
, who has been with the department for 20 years, said he's excited about Burford's appointment. "She brings a lot of knowledge to the town."

Burford's credentials in firefighting are impressive, with extensive practical and educational experience. She's been a paid firefighter in Manchester for 13 years, was a volunteer firefighter in Wilton for four years before that, went through the executive fire officer program at the
National Fire Academy
in Maryland, and has taken courses in the fire science program at
Capitol Community College
in Hartford.

Ridgefield's Fire Department includes emergency medical services, and Burford has wide experience in that field, too. She is a paramedic and her job in Manchester as chief of a support services battalion includes full responsibility for the emergency medical services program as well as hazardous materials training and response.

Burford's administrative and budgetary experience were also a big plus in her getting the job, Marconi said. As battalion chief in Manchester, she has 80 people who report to her. She has done budgeting and human resources management and expects to get a master's degree in public administration from the
University of Connecticut
this spring.

"Of all the 48 applicants who started out with us, Heather Burford is the most qualified to be the chief of the Ridgefield Fire Department," said Marconi.

The field was whittled down to six candidates, who were then passed on to a panel of three police chiefs - from Milford, Norwalk and Wilton.

"Heather was at the top" of the panel's recommendations, he said.

Since Burford's contract hasn't been signed yet, Marconi didn't want to say what her salary will be. But the salary range, he said, is between $78,000 and $108,000.

"It's challenging, both intellectually and physically," Burford said about being a firefighter. Intellectually, she said, a firefighter has to be adept in many areas, including the way hazardous materials affect the environment or how to coordinate efforts in an emergency.

Physically, the job is demanding, she added. For instance, even routine firefighting equipment weighs 25 pounds, and moving heavy equipment around is part and parcel of the job.

Burford didn't start her career as a firefighter. She was born in Montreal, Canada, came to America about 25 years ago, and after earning a B.S. degree in zoology from
Iowa State University
became a clinical database analyst for a pharmaceutical company in New York.

Burford was living in Wilton in 1989 and was "very interested in wildland firefighting." She went to the local firehouse for information, and though there wasn't much available about these fires, Burnford was asked if she'd like to volunteer for the town.

Her firefighting training started soon after that and she was hooked. Four years later Burford applied for and got a paid firefighting job in Manchester.

"I found the fire service profession and never looked back," she said.

After 13 years in Manchester, Burford was ready for another step. "I'm at a point in my career where I'm ready for the next challenge - to manage a department."

Burford has heard good things about the Ridgefield department and is eager to work there. "I understand it's a well-respected department with a group of dedicated people."